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New York Medicaid EVV
Important Facts about New York Electronic Visit Verification
As home health and personal care agencies seek compliance with regulatory requirements with regard to Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) in that state of New York, agency administrators face important deadlines for EVV implementation. As one of many states where EVV deadlines are taking effect, New York DOH requirements must be met for certain types of care in the state, or agencies will run the risk rejected payments…
New York Medicaid EVV Info
The Federal 21st Century Cures Act (the Cures Act) was officially signed into law on December 13, 2016. The act mandated that U.S states including but not limited to New York, implement an approved EVV system for all Medicaid-funded personal care services (PCS) and home health care services (HHCS) that require an in-home visit by a provider. New York State was slated to implement EVV for Personal care services by January 1, 2021 and for Home Health Care Services by January 1, 2023. Any states found to be out of compliance with the Federal EVV requirements set forth can be subject to penalties.
The New York State (State) Department of Health (DOH), Office of Health Insurance Programs which sits over New York’s Medicaid Program, released an electronic visit verification Request for Information (RFI) on October 17, 2019. The
purpose of the RFI was to gather information from vendors regarding Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) solutions to assist the NY DOH in identifying EVV solutions that could address feedback and input received from stakeholders while still meeting the Federal EVV requirements set forth in the Cures Act.
When does New York EVV Start?
Which New York care service programs will use EVV and what are their official start dates?
Per the official NY DOH website, EVV applies to the following services received in-home and will carry the following implementation dates:
• Personal Care Services from a Licensed Home Health Care Agency go into effect on January 1, 2021;
• Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services go into effect on January 1, 2021
• Home Health Services from a Certified Home Health Care Agency go into effect on January 1, 2023.
Per CMS guidance, NYSDOH will provide statewide EVV data aggregation via New York’s Medicaid Management Information System. In staying true with the Cures Act requirement to implement EVV in a manner that is “minimally burdensome,” to agencies and in response to concerns from stakeholders regarding privacy and self-direction, during its initial implementation, only the minimum set of EVV data elements necessary to meet the obligations under the Cures Act will be aggregated.
What services are required under New York Medicaid EVV?
An approved EVV system for New York is required for the following services:
Personal Care Services from a Licensed Home Health Care Agency starting (Effective January 1, 2021)
Consumer Directed Personal Assistance Services (Effective January 1, 2021)
Home Health Services from a Certified Home Health Care Agency (Effective January 1, 2023)
What data requirements must my approved NY EVV System collect?
New York allows agency providers to choose an electronic visit verification system of their selection, so long as that system meets the minimum requirements identified by New York Medicaid (DOH) and is compatible with the state’s EVV aggregator system. As set forth by the requirements of the 21st Century Cures Act, a New York Alternate EVV system must collect the following visit data:
- The type of service performed
- The name of the individual receiving the service
- The exact date of the service
- The exact location of service delivery
- The name of the individual providing the service
- The exact time the service begins and ends
What System Should I use for EVV?
New York Home health & personal care providers are free to select a system that works best for their agency workflow. For more information on compatible systems specifications and details, you may visit the New York State Department of Health’s official website by clicking here. To learn more about Alora’s EVV system for New York or about complete home health software for New York agencies with integrated electronic visit verification, click here.
DON’T JUST GET BY – THRIVE WITH ALORA
ALORA offers forward-thinking agencies a complete home health software for New York home and personal care agencies operating in the state of New York. The system features built-in EVV, award-winning full-time support, and unmatched ease of use for both caregivers and admins, packaged within a comprehensive mobile-ready homecare agency management system.
Request EVV information Request an EVV price quote
ALORA EVV Benefits include:
- Monitor home visits live, automatically tracking no shows or delayed visits
- Accelerate agency billing and payroll (as EVV data is automatically populated into claims processing & payroll)
- Complete POC-based visit notes directly from Alora’s EVV interface
- Unmatched ease of use for clinicians – In addition to capturing EVV information, nurses & therapists can complete visit notes & assessments while at the patient’s home, enjoying access to important clinical information on their mobile device of choice
- Empower home health aides – with Alora, aides can quickly check their schedules, look up patient information, & communicate directly with your agency through secure mail (includes text notification)
LEARN MORE ABOUT NEW YORK ELECTRONIC VISIT VERIFICATION
WHERE IT ALL STARTED
THE ORIGIN OF EVV REQUIREMENTS
How EVV began at the federal level
The state and national push for EVV began with the invention of the 21st Century Cures Act. The law was initially introduced a few years ago to provide accountability and efficiency in the world of home health care, reducing the potential for fraud and other payment difficulties. The 21st Century Cures act requires electronic visit verification (EVV) systems for Medicaid-funded personal care services (PCS) and home health services.
Within the 21st Century CURES Act, Section 12006 listed a requirement that states had to implement a compliant EVV system for Medicaid-funded Personal Care Services (PCS) by the original dates of January 1, 2019, and additionally for Home Health Care Services (HHCS) by January 1, 2023. Federal legislation actively delayed any possible penalties for PCS implementation until January 1, 2020. The COVID-19 global pandemic spurred many states to leverage good faith extension requests to ease the already cumbersome burden of timely EVV implementation. As many implementation mandates take effect as of 2021, agencies are now positioning themselves to acquire compatible EVV systems to ensure compliance and no disturbance in timely payments.
THE ALORA HOME HEALTH BLOG
Read the Alora blog and website to learn more about home health software for New York New York compatible EVV systems, and recent news, articles, and commentaries, as well as other issues that pertain to NY Home health care in the state and beyond. For more information on our blog, or for questions or feedback, please send us an email to HomeHealthSoftware@AloraHealth.com